Hoops hope to tie down Porto target Ntcham on long-term deal

CELTIC are ready to offer Olivier Ntcham a long-term deal as the midfielder attracts attention from elsewhere.

The French under-21 internationalist has been watched by Porto this summer with the Portuguese side keeping close tabs on Ntcham.

Moussa Dembele looks to be heading out of Celtic after two years at the club, but Brendan Rodgers has maintained that Ntcham’s situation differs to that of his countryman.

“There was interest in Olivier but we sat down with him and his representatives and talked through the plan,” said Rodgers. “He’s been here one year and it shows the development he’s had with the interest shown in him.

“We’re not ready to sell. When we took Olivier here there was a plan for him and his situation has come up a little bit earlier than what we’d have thought.

“Him and his representatives are in discussions about a new deal so hopefully that could be finalised soon.”

Meanwhile, as Celtic find themselves immersed in transfer drama at the business end of the window Rodgers still has two significant games to prepare for.

Celtic host FK Suduva this evening as they seek to secure a Europa League place before taking on Rangers on Sunday.

The likelihood is that they will go into that game without Dembele, who has been the tormentor-in-chief of the Ibrox side over the last two seasons.

“That’s my focus – preparing the team, to get a result and have European football through until Christmas and come in and prepare for the Rangers game,” said Rodgers. “You have to do both – at this moment in time I’m not long off the training pitch and my focus has been on that and people behind the scenes are working on the other side. “It’s straightforward. Last week in the game I wasn’t overly pleased with the performance and it’s a time that can be unstable for players. My job is to stabilise the emotions of the team and make sure we are focused.”